flint

[anarchist]

red feather

 

brain "_ _ _ _" alert! Look for pot. perm. not Magnesium...my mistake

 

and just so folks don't think this is a 'no-no', REI sells a fire starter kit for a bunch of green backs that is the same stuff...good chem guy can sell you a five year supply for the cost of a micro-sample from REI though!.

Offer still stands for a few tons of rock if you pay shipping!

anarchist

[packsaddle]

OK, here is a way to resolve this. Get the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for each chemical. You can download them or read them off the web. Here's a convenient site:

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/P6005.htm

 

Read it carefully. Decide for yourself what the safe handling and use is. KMnO4 is a powerful oxidizer. I encourage you not to allow children to handle this stuff. Be careful.

[anarchist]

 

 

first I agree that it (KMno4)has a 'danger" factor, but while we are at it let's get MSDS's for propane, butane, white gas and bleach... lets also review whether we should show 'em how to responsibly use pocket knives, axes, saws, canoes and a few other items.

I am not advocating turning them loose with the stuff but with adult supervision (and maybe someone supervising the adults) we can introduce some items during 'instruction classes'that have a "WOW" factor. These things allow for or act as attention grabbers or interest holding devices that create a more acute learning environment and perhaps help scouts think outside the box...

' Been using this stuff for demos for years and you know what,...the boys think it is interesting (and keep in mind this is not as "showy" as the magnesium flakes), want to know where to get it and when I tell them that when they are ready we'll talk more about it...they move on to stuff like wanting to use "girl scout water" (no!) or easier-to-make fire starters...(yes)! But it does get attention...just like a Chem. teacher setting off a "carbon volcano" at the start of a class! (or 9 volt batteries and steel wool). nuff said

 

offer still stands for a couple of tons of rock (COD?)

anarchist

[Adrianvs]

Charcloth is easy to make without endangering your paws. I use pure cotton cloth (unbleached muslin) and an Altoids can. I cut the cloth into pieces that fit inside the can and fill it up. You can do quite a bit of charcloth at a time this way. I then put the charcloth over some flames or coals (a small stove works great for this), and wait until flames begin to leap out of the tiny holes in the Altoids can hinge. These are the volatiles being burned out of the cotton cloth. Once the flames have stopped (and I tap the can with something to be sure that they are all finished), I take the can off of the fire and let it cool for several minutes. One the can is cool, I open it up and there are a couple dozen sheets of charcloth sitting right inside. It is a good idea to test the batch before you put it away for storage to make sure that it's good.

 

As far as good flint goes, it depends on your area, but you can often find pieces in common limestone or other rock beds. Just last weekend, I happened to spot a piece of flint in a bed of mixed garden rock. Keep in mind that flint is a very dense material (silicone dioxide, I believe) and it has a distinctive way of fracturing. Look for the smooth edges and when in doubt, try sparking on a good, hard piece of steel.

[packsaddle]

Adrianvs, I had to laugh. Your spelling error nearly spilled me out of my chair. Ahem, silicone is more likely to be found in, well, a popular implant item. But the irony is that (according to a little wisdom from Ol' Griz of "Jeremiah Johnson" fame) those puppies may look nice but they can be as cold and hard as the flint you describe. This will probably close the thread. I seek forgiveness and absolution.

[Adrianvs]

hahahaha...

 

Remember, kids, that a simple 'e' can change a common and useful element into a rather humorous polymer.

 

 

Further evidence that I should not post after 11:00 PM.

[John D]

Just a bit off the topic but pot. permanganate is a water purifier. Mix a small crystal in a liter of water to get a light purple color, just as effective as iodine but more portable. Make it stronger to get a disinfectant for wounds. I've used it in Pakistan and India where the local folks drop a handfull in their wells from time to time.

[scoutingagain]

Hmm, "Portable" water. I never would have thought of that. Does that mean I don't need a water bottle?

 

Sorry, couldn't resist again.

 

SA

[packsaddle]

We use it as a follow-up treatment after a rotenone survey. It neutralizes the rotenone in the right proportion. A little stronger, it kills everything. Read the MSDS.

[anarchist]

John D amd all, the KMno4 used to found in old G.I. first aid kits. Survival manuals told soldiers who were in the battlefield without a zippo to use the 'powder with a few drops of antifreeze...from the radiator of a jeep or duce and a half...wad of paper and you have fire...

or you could just build a fire bow and spin yourself up a fire (take right gear and lots of practice)...I also saw a neat demo with a plunger type gizmo...looks like a wooden syringe, you place a bit of wadding/fuzzy tinder in the barrel and slammed the thing (plunger)against the ground. The compression and friction super heat the tinder forming an ember that is added to the tinder pile and blown on....puff, puff, puff and you have fire. Think the guy said his 'tool' was made in Georgia..found a web site but never ordered it.